Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation

Support the Onondaga Nation

Urge the Syracuse Common Council to pass a Resolution of Respect for and Reconciliation with the Onondaga Nation

We urge you to contact members of the Syracuse Common Council to express your support for a Resolution of Respect for and Reconciliation with the Onondaga Nation which has been sent to them by Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON).

While there is support from some members of the Council, we have also heard from several of them that they don't pass such "symbolic" resolutions. We need to make it clear to them that many of their constituents want them to stand in support of the Onondaga Nation and that this resolution has vital concrete consequences for our community.

Below is background information about this campaign, suggested talking points and links for the full resolution, background citations and more.

Ideally, please write, fax or call your Common Councilor or anyone you know on the Council. Feel free to contact all of them. Please encourage your friends, coworkers and family members to contact them as well. If you would like to become more actively involved with the campaign, please contact NOON.

Talking Points

We are fortunate to live in a unique place where our neighbors have remained a sovereign nation for over 1000 years despite great hardship and adversity
There is a reciprocal relationship between Syracuse and the Onondaga Nation, many of us know and respect our Onondaga neighbors and many of them live and/or work in the city
The revitalization of Onondaga Lake and Onondaga Creek are vital to the future of Syracuse. The Onondaga Nation is playing a leading role in supporting a full clean up
There are strong connections between the Onondaga Nation and important institutions in our community, including Syracuse University and SUNY ESF
We have a responsibility to acknowledge the historical injustices which took part in our region

Syracuse Common Council Contact Information
Full Resolution
Reference Citations for the Resolution

Background to the Resolution

In mid-May 2009, NOON launched an effort to convince the Syracuse Common Council to pass a Resolution of Respect for and Reconciliation with the Onondaga Nation. The resolution acknowledges the illegal taking of Onondaga land and commits the City of Syracuse to working with the Onondaga Nation to clean up the environment and promote social healing, build positive and respectful relations with our Onondaga neighbors and redress the injustices which have occurred.

Historic Opportunity

We are optimistic that given the strong community support for the Onondaga Nation and their environmental initiatives here Syracuse, we can persuade the Common Council to make such an historic statement. But the Councilors need to hear from their constituents that we support this action and want them to act for justice.

We are fortunate in Central New York to be neighbors of the Onondaga people, carriers of an ancient culture, which has survived thousands of years. It is a culture that has a great deal to offer and teach us, particularly as we face deepening ecological crises. Their connection to the environment is an ancient and deep part of their culture. Respect for our shared environment and its cleanup throughout the region will benefit all of us now, as well as future generations and the Earth.

Recognizing Our Mutual History

Many Central New Yorkers recognize our mutual history and are committed to building a shared future with the Onondaga and other indigenous peoples.

Nearly 700 Syracuse residents have signed NOON's "Pledge of Support for the Onondaga People";
Hundreds of Central New Yorkers attended the year-long educational series Onondaga Land Rights and Our Common Future, organized by NOON, SU, SUNY ESF and others in 2006;
Syracuse University has developed The Haudenosaunee Promise and sponsored a wide range of educational activities for the campus and community at large;
SUNY ESF recently established The Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.

Beyond our community, the United Nations passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in September 2007. This landmark event, for which the Onondagas provided leadership for decades, shows that the situation facing indigenous peoples is a concern that extends well beyond our community.